10:30-11:00 THE ALPHA POKEY and FIND SUPER LETTERS GOALS: WHAT CAMPERS WILL LEARN

Letter identification and discrimination skills through a music and movement activity.

To identify lowercase letters r, o, p, e, (and if time and skill level permit m, a, s, u, n)

To discriminate between the letters r, o, p, e, (and if time and skill level permit m, a, s, u, n)

WHAT YOU NEED

Markers Lowercase letter cards r, o, p, e, m, a, s, u, n - one set for each child

in the class (see leveling instructions for which letters to use) (PDF) Tape (staplers also work on popsicle sticks too) Large Popsicle sticks (4, 6 or 9 per child depending on skill level) Instructor’s Activity Instructions & Script

SET-UP FOR ACTIVITY

Campers should be sitting at tables/desks Each camper should be given popsicle sticks and alphabet cards,

tape, and markers. (tape and markers can be placed in the center of table for sharing).

Be sure that lowercase letters, r, o, p, e, (and m, a, s, u, n if time and skill level permit) are displayed in the classroom for children to use as a reference.

Find part in INSTRUCTOR’S ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS & SCRIPT that applies to this activity

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

1) Campers are instructed to create alphabet sticks by taping letters onto popsicle sticks. Once each camper has a complete set of alphabet sticks, the campers are instructed to stand in a circle.

Instructor sings: Put your r in (hold r stick in your hand and put your arm in toward the center of the circle), Take your r out (pull your arm back out of the circle) Put your r in (put your r stick back in toward the center of the circle again) and shake it all about (keeping your r stick in toward the center, shake it up and down and side to side)!

Do the Alpha Pokey and turn yourself around (hold up your r stick and turn around but stay in your spot). That’s what it’s all about - Alpha Pokey! (jump with r stick in hand) Continue until all the letters are sung. All the campers sing and follow along with the instructor. They must find the correct letter, put it in, take it out, and shake it all about.

DEMONSTRATE

Script: Instructor: Alpha Pig saved the Super Readers from the quicksand using a rope. He built the word rope by finding the letters r, o, p, e. There was another important word in today’s episode. Remember the word map? Map has the letters m, a, p in it. A map is what the Super Readers used to figure out where their computer friend lived. Today we are going to find all of these letters and create alphabet sticks with all of these letters. When we’re done, we’ll get to use them in a super fun song called the Alpha Pokey. Let me show what we are going to do. What’s the first letter in the word rope? Campers: r! Instructor: Yes, the letter r! Let’s find the letter r card. Do you see an r? Be sure all campers are holding up the r card. Fantastic, now let’s tape this onto a popsicle stick. This will be our r stick. Next, let’s find the o card. Make your o stick the same way you made your r stick. The instructor models this for each letter and this continues until all alphabet sticks are created. Now, let’s practice using our alphabet sticks. I am going to call out a letter, and you hold it up. Practice identifying each letter and then have children create a large circle in an open area. Instructor directs class in Alpha Pokey song. Children need to be shown how to hold all alphabet sticks in one hand and then find one letter as the instructor sings it out. This letter should be held in the opposite hand of the other letters. Children may not be able to manage all of the alphabet sticks at once and can put their letters on the floor in front of them. SKILL LEVEL OPTIONS Level 1: Campers create 4 letter sticks (r, o, p, e).

Level 2: Campers create 6 letter sticks (r, o, p, e, m, a). Mix up the order of the letters so they are not always in the same order as in rope and map. Level 3: Campers create 9 letters sticks (r, o, p, e, m, a, s, u, n). Mix up the order of the letters and play with the speed of the song, getting faster and faster as the game progresses. Instructor: Okay readers, now that we all have alphabet sticks and know what letters are on them, let’s stand up and move slowly to the story-time area (Transition activity can be used here).

TRANSITION INSTRUCTIONS INSTRUCTOR: I am going to hold up letter sticks that we made today r, o, p, e, m, a, p (s, u, n if time and level permits). Each camper will get a turn telling me the name of a letter. Remember to raise your hand if you know the letter and please do not call out. As each child has a turn, they will get up and move to the area where the Alpha-Pokey will be sung.

Instructor: Make a big circle and leave space between you and your neighbor. Does anyone know a song called the Hokey Pokey? Well, the Alpha Pokey is just like that song but instead of sticking our body parts in and out, we get to stick our letters in and out. Let me show you what I mean. Instructor sings the song and models the movements… “Put your r in, take your r out, put your r in and shake it all about, Do the Alpha Pokey and turn yourself around, That’s what it’s all about, Alpha Pokey” Instructor models how to take one letter out while keeping the rest in the opposite hand. Start off really slow until campers get the hang of it. Continue using the one letter at a time until campers have shown mastery identifying all of the letters. Once kids get the hang of the game, assign different campers to be the leader and pick which letter to put in the circle.

SUPER LETTERS GOALS: WHAT CAMPERS WILL LEARN

To identify the purpose of the SUPER DUPER COMPUTER The letters are put together to make a word that represents the answer to the problem identified in Around the World Adventure episode.

WHAT YOU NEED

Dry erase board with NO hash marks written on it (Hash marks will be written on the board as the Super Letters and Super Duper Computer are explained.) Dry Erase Marker Super Letters INSTRUCTOR’S ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS & SCRIPT

SET-UP FOR ACTIVITY

Campers sit in semi-circle around instructor SUPER DUPER Dry erase board should be clearly visible to campers. Find part in INSTRUCTOR’S ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS & SCRIPT that applies to this activity

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS The assistant instructor should quietly and discreetly put the m, a, and p SUPER LETTERS up somewhere that the campers will find once they begin their search. Instructor will lead campers in a discussion that identifies:

a. the purpose of the SUPER LETTERS b. the problem of the day c. what the campers should do if they find SUPER LETTERS d. the number of letters the campers will need to find Try to get as many campers to tell you the answers as possible: Script: Instructor: The SUPER READERS were looking for the Sophie the seal throughout the episode. What else were they looking for in The Magical Around the World Adventure Book? (May need to give a hint – what kind of letters?) Campers: The SUPER LETTERS!

Instructor: Super Job! Once the SUPER READERS find the SUPER LETTERS what do they do with them? Campers: They put them in the SUPER DUPER COMPUTER! Instructor : What does the SUPER DUPER COMPUTER do? Campers: It collects all the SUPER LETTERS. And it makes a word. It gives us our Super Story Answer. Instructor: The Super Duper Computer collects the letters. And those letters make a word. That word is our Super Story Answer. What was the question that we had to find the answer to? Campers: How can Pig, Red, Whyatt, and Princess Pea figure out where a place is that is surrounded by water and has kangaroos so that they can figure out where their computer friend lives? Instructor: How can Pig, Red, Whyatt, and Princess Pea figure out where a place is that is surrounded by water and has kangaroos so that they can figure out where their computer friend lives? We need to write the answer in our…Super Duper Computer. Here is our SUPER DUPER COMPUTER board! Pull out the board. Instructor: How many Super Letters are we looking for today? Campers: THREE! Instructor: THREE. Let’s count. Count to 3 and draw the hash marks on the board as you all count together. Three, we are looking for Three Super Letters now. Keep your eyes out for SUPER LETTERS! When you see them, make sure to let me know. As we find the SUPER LETTERS we will put them in the right place in the SUPER DUPER COMPUTER. And when we have our answer we will know how to figure out where the Super Reader’s computer friend lives. OK everybody go look for the Super Letters!

Campers should look for Super Letters. Hopefully, they will notice them. If not, prompt discovery, say “Do you see any Super Letters?” Once they have acknowledged that they have found some ask, “What letters did you find?”

Try to get every camper to identify the letters that were found.

Once the letters are found and identified, have the campers who possess the letters come to the front of the class. Ask the class “what letters did they find?” and place them on the correct hash marks. SUPER STORY ANSWER DISCUSSION

Super Story Answer is complete on the SUPER DUPER COMPUTER dry erase board. Instructor: “We found all of our Super Letters. Now we can get our

Super Story Answer.” Now that all the SUPER LETTERS are found, the SUPER STORY ANSWER can be discussed. And we’ll know how to find a place surrounded by water and where kangaroos live so that the Super Readers can figure out where their computer friend lives. Instructor: Look, the SUPER DUPER COMPUTER gave us the SUPER STORY ANSWER! Read the letters with me: m-a-p NOTE: Instructor should point to each letter as it is said. Instructor: The SUPER STORY ANSWER is ……..m-a-p. Why? Campers: Because, Mr. Wigglesbottom used a picture of the world or a map to figure out where Sophie the seal was. Instructor: It’s true. Mr. Wigglesbottom couldn’t use a picture of Sophie to figure out where she was, he needed a picture of the world so he could find a place with ice and penguins. So how did the Super Reader’s figure out where their computer friend lived? Campers: They looked at a map! Instructor: Yes, if the Super Readers need to figure out where someone lives, they should look at a map. If you can’t find someone or if you need to figure out how to get someplace what could you look at? Campers: A map!

Other discussion questions: Has anyone ever been lost before? How could a map help you find your way? Does anyone have a map at home? Have you or your parents ever used it? What types of things can a map show you? What kind of pictures are on a map?

TRANSITON INSTRUCTIONS Instructor: Our Super Story Answer has 3 letters in it m-a-p (count and point). Some words have lots of letters in them, and some words only have one or two letters in them. I want to know how many letters are in your names. When I call your name, come up and count the letters in your name as we say them. Use the camper’s nametags as visuals. After you count the letters in your name, you may line up to play outside.

11:00-11:20 FREE PLAY OUTSIDE [RAIN ACTIVITY: FREE PLAY INSIDE AND COMPUTER GAME] In inclement weather, if campers are interested, send 2-3 children at a time to use the Alpha Pig computer game. Make sure campers restart the game to start from the beginning each time. Check off their names from the list of children so that as many children as possible get to use the computer game today. If necessary, remind children of the rules; Only play Alpha Pig Amazing Alphabet Matchup game (Do not click on any other games), Play together, Take turns, Play until I call you and it is time for the next activity. DO NOT allow campers to play on the computer instead of participating in the activities provided in the curriculum.